Convertible shipping and feeding box



April 26, 1932. A. E. MILLER CONVERTIBLE SHIPPING- AND FEEDING BOX Filed Jan. 30, 1932 Sill-w. .t

Patented Apr. 26, 1932 ANDREW E. mLLEn, or TERRE PATENT y OFFICE A HAUTE, INDIANA, .ASSIGNOR T WABASH FIBB'EJBOX COMPANY, OF TERRE HAUTE, INDIANA, A CORPORATION coNvEnTmLE SHIPPING AND rEEnnvG Box a Application `llledjanuary 30, 1932. Serial No'. 589,797.

This invention relates ping and feeding box.

It is old to ship feed materials in a box. It is also old to place feed materials in a feeder so that chicks and the like can obtain the feed from the feeder.

So-called ten to twenty-ive pound quantities of feed for the feeding of chicks have generally been s'old in sacks of paper or cloth, and this has necessitated the dumping of the contents of the sack into a feeding receptacle. If for some reason or other the chicken raiser ever acquires a strain of chicks that are diseased, extreme care must be exercised to thoroughly disinfect, scour and clean the feeder in order to remove any and all con-l tamination, bacteria, and germs from the feeder, otherwise, the second 0r any successive flock of chicks that are fed from the feeder will become diseased and great-loss thereby will result to the chicken raiser. The average chicken raiser does not realize\the susceptibility of the chickens to diseases and, therefore, is at to a `convertible shipsuccessive'llocks that he attempts to raise.

The present invention, therefore, is directed to the solution of this problem by providing a feeder that is relatively cheap and which to the chicken raiser does not cost any more than the bag feed and -which can be discarded after the flock has been 'raised beyond the large chick size to that where the can feed for themselves:

other object of this invention is to provide a carton for chicken feed which can be filled with the feed and can be transported and the chicken raiser can, by use of a pen knife, or the like readily'convert the container into a feeder of the character indicated.

The chief feature of the invention consists in the formation of a container of paper board stock suitable for transportation of feed without materiall increasing the cost of transportation or t e `cost of packaging and which upon arriving at its nal destination may be readily converted into a feeder for continued use as such. 1

Another feature of the invention is the similarly contaminated,

a loss to account for the excessive losses' in provision of means whereby the feeder may be refilled, if and when desired, for use in the cntinued feeding of the flock.

The full nature of the invention will be understood from the accompanying drawings" and the following description and claims In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a plan, view of one form of blank suitable for forming the convertible shippingand feeding box. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the box showing the same arranged as a feeder. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on line. 3 3 of Fig. 2 and in the direction of the arrows. In the drawings 10 indicates a pair of sides separated by an end 11 and a pair` of end forming members 12. Extending parallel to each other and from one edge of each of the said sides and ends are the extensions 13, 14 and 15 respectively. All of these are arranged to form the top of the container. Extending oppositely from the op osite edge of each of the sides and ends, are t e flaps 16, 17 and 18.

As will be evident from an examination of Fig. 1, the portions 12, 15 and 18, when placed in abutting relation, are the equivalent of the portions'll, 14 and 17 respectively. Each flap 18 is suitably notched as at 19v and thereby provides a tongue 20. Similarly, flap 17 upon opposite sides is notched as at 21 providin tongue 22.

The box is ma e up in the usual fashion by the tape 23 joining the abutting edges 24 l.of the end forming members 12.- The top and bottom are similarly secured together in top and bottom formation by the tape portions 25 and 26 respectively. If desired, this tape may be a continuous strip extending `completely around Athe box or extendin from end 11 longitudinallyV of the center 0% the top, longitudinally of the center of the opposite end and thence longitudinally alongthe bottom and to the first mentioned end. There thereby results a sealed box and when in this'relation, the flaps 13, 14 and 15 all lie parallel to each other and the flaps 16, 17 and 18 also lie parallel to each other and adjacent each other and com lete the box.

Blanks may be shipped to t e feed manufacturer in the flat or in doubled relation, thereby reducing the cubical content necessary to accommodate the material. In other words, one hundred or more of these blanks may be bundled and shipped to the feed manufacturer and readil assembled b him from the form shown in Fig. 1 into the orm shown generally in Fig. 2, that is in box form, and, of course, filled before the final sealingoperation takes place. i The corners of the box, Aof course, are so formed that the will be relatively leak proof or sift proof. o claim to this corner formation, however, is involved in th1s `invention.

The box is not completely filled with feed, but only' to about one inch of the top in the filling operation and in the subsequent cutting or converting operation', the top thereafter becomes the bottom of the feeder when inverted and positioned as shown in Fig. 2.

One or more of the sides and ends, but herein the two larger sides, are shown rovided 'with certain markings and since oth are substantially identical, a description of one side marking will suflice for all. Herein side 10 adjacent the bottom thereof is provided with a marking which may be merely a printed line or may be a succession of aligned 3o slits which may extend completely through the side or may terminate short of the inner side wall of the side. The paper board stock utilized generally and preferred, is 'corrugated paper having an outer liner, an inner liner -and an intermediate corrugated sheet.

The slits 30, therefore, may terminate short of passing through the inner liner sheet. If the slits 30 pass through the inner liner sheet, then the slits are of such thickness that they are sift proof. In other words, even with the slits extending completely through the side, the box is relatively leak proof. The liner slits or marking 30 terminate as at 31 short of the end of the side. Here an angular extension of the marking or slit indicated at 32, is illustrated and extending angularly thereof and oppositely from the slit 30, is a parallel slit 33 and extendin angularly therefrom and parallel to the sit 31 is the slit 34. This provides a shoulder 35, the pur-v pose of which will be hereinafter set forth. The ends of the slits 34 are joined by a scoring 36.

When the chicken raiser purchases a carton offeed, he inverts the box so that the slit 30 is near the top and-.then using a pen knife `or like lnstrument, severs the paper stock along the markings or slits 30, 31, 32, 33 and 34.-

As shown in the present invention, both sides maybe. thus formed. Then the notched flaps 17 and 18 are turned from the position they have heretofore occupied, that is paral lel to the flap 16, into a position transverse thereto and this is permitted because the feed does not completely fill the box. In other Words, the shipping container has a cubical content greater than that required solely for shipping purposes. iVhen the flaps 17 and 18 are turned so as to lie parallel to the ends, there results an interlocking relationship between the shoulder 35 and the adjacent groove or notch 19, as will be evident from 2 and 3. Likewise, the flap 37 at each end, due to the Weight of the feed in the box when it is inverted into the feeder position, rests upon the side Wall of the tongue 20 and thus the tongue 20 prevents the weight of the material from opening or spreading the inturned iiap 37 toward a closed position, thereby providing in the feeder box a hopper like outlet'for the supplying of feed to the bottom of the box. Access to the bottom of vthe box is provided through the opening formed in the side Wall by the inturning of the por-- tion 37.

Whenever it is desired to refill the feeder without opening the top by severing the paper tape 25, commonly employed for such purposes, the chicken raiser can take a pen knife and cut a three-sided slit marked as at 40. It will be apparent that the location `of this marking arrangement is such that it does not overlap any of the inturned flaps 14 or 15 and thus feed may be supplied to the feeder when the chicken raiser cuts with a pen knife along the dotted line indicated at 40 and raises the tongue to form the opening into the top of the feeder. After thc filling operation is completed, the tongue may be depressed into substantial alignment and original position and thus the contents are protected, because if corrugated paper board stock is utilized in the carto'n, there will be sufficient rough edges to insure resistance to any except forcible opening. If desired, the two ends of the three-sided marking may be connected by a scoring 41 to facilitate in the raising and lowering of the tongue thus The invention claimed is:-

1. A combination convertible shipping and feeding box, comprising side and end -walls with ap means at opposite ends of the box adapted to lie parallel to the ends for feeder operation and'each including adjacent one side edge a notch and a tongue formation, the first mentioned side Wall being arranged for severance near the bottom to form a tongue capable of inturning to form a hopper bottom, said second mentioned tongue including a shoulder at eachI side edge intermediate the ends thereof whereby said first v. mentioned tongue, shoulder and notch mutually co-operate for locking and support of the second mentioned tongue in inturned relation for feed opening maintenance and hopper bottom formation.

2. A combination convertible shipping and feeding box, comprising a top and bottom and side and end walls with Hap means at opposite edges, certain of said flap means adapted to lie parallel to the ends for feeder operation and each including adjacent one side edge a notch and tongue formation, side wall being arranged for severance near the bottom to form a tongue capablel of inturning to form a hopper bottom, said tongue including a shoulder at each side edge intermediate the ends thereof whereby said tongue, shoulder and notch mutually co-operate for the locking and'support of the tongue in inturned relation for feedl opening formation and hopper bottom maintenance, the top including a markedportion arranged for severance. to provide a supply opening, the severance forming a closure for closing the supply opening substantially as described.

3., A combination convertible shipping and feeding box, comprising a bottom, top, side and end walls formed from a single blank of paper board stock, iiap means extendin from certain of said walls and arranged to 11e par-y alle-l to certain of the end walls for feeder operation, each flap means including adjacent one side edge a notch and a tongue formation, a side wall being arranged for severance near the bottom to forma tongue capable of inturning to form a hopper bottom, said second mentioned tongue including a shouldered edge at each side edge intermediate the ends thereof, whereby said first mentioned tongue, shoulder and notch mutually co-operate for locking and support of the second mentioned tongue in inturned relation for feed opening formation and hopper bottom maintenance.

4. A combination convertible shipping and feeding box, comprising a bottom, top, side and end walls formed from a single blank of paper board stock, flap means extendin from certain of said walls and arranged to 11e parallel to certain of the end walls forfeeder operation, each liap means includin adjacent one side edge a notch and a tongue ormation, a side wall being arranged for severance near the bottom to form a tongue capable of inturning to form a hopper bottom, said second mentioned tongue including a shouldered edge at each side intermediate the ends thereof, whereby said first mentioned tongue, shoulder and notch mutually co-operate for locking and support of the second mentioned tongue in inturned relation for feed opening formation and hopper bottom maintenance, and other flap means extending inwardly from the end walls and lying parallel to the top but terminating short of meeting engagement, the top including a marked portion positioned between the terminating ends of said last mentioned flapr means which upon severance'provides a supply opening in t e top and a cover for the same.

5. A combination paper board box suitable for shipping purposes and convertible into a feeder including an initially and substantially imperforate OP, bottom, end and side forming walls arranged as a sealed container for shipping purposes, one side forming wall being outlined for subsequent perforation for exposure of a portion of the box interior, each end wall of the box including an inwardly directed inclined ledge, a hopper bottom portion extending inwardly and inclined angularlyto the plane of the side and having oilset opposite ends for interlocking and support engagement withthe lend ledges-for hopper formation maintenance.

6. A combination paper board box suitable for shipping purposes 'and convertible into a feeder including an initially substantially imperforate top, bottom, end and side forming walls arranged as a sealed container for shipping purposes, each side forming wall being outlined for subsequent perforation 'for opposite exposure of the box interior, each end including oppositely directed inwardly directed inclined ledges, hopper forming bottom portions extending inwardly and inclined angularlyto the plane of the side and from the side, each hopper forming portion having cifset opposite ends for interlocking and support engagement with the adjacent ledges for hopper formation maintenance.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto aiiixed my signature.

ANDREW E. MILLER. 

